One of the Best Ramen Houses in Osaka Can Be Found in Namba’s Back Alleys

Menya Joroku6-16 Nambansennichimae, Chuo-Ward, Osaka.Contact: +81-6-6643-6633.Open from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. On the first Monday of every month, the restaurant is only open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are no evening hours.

Menya Joroku is located in Uranamba, a popular Osaka neighborhood known for its restaurants. With many celebrity fans, the restaurant frequently makes an appearance in various magazines and television shows. Their specialty: chuka soba made with local Takaida ramen noodles steeped in a dark soy sauce broth. Although mostly occupied by locals during the week, tourists and ramen fans from far and wide also flock to this shop in pursuit of this ambrosial ramen, especially during the weekend. The broth, with its chicken stock base, is high in quality and favored for how full-bodied and rich it is. Having eaten 300 bowls of noodles just this past year, shop owner Tatsuji Joroku understands his customers’ feelings well. As a result, besides the three menu classics, he always has around two types of limited quantity noodles or two off-menu items ready to go. Furthermore, on every first Monday of the month, the shop serves fans something called Good Morning Ramen from seven in the morning. As physically tolling as it may seem, Joroku says that he has a lot of fun. However, he also professes wanting to try his luck out on his own. “I want to retire quickly and open a quiet ramen shop back home in Wakayama,” he says. Before that happens, make sure you try a bowl of chuka soba from his shop. TheirChuka Soba East Osaka Takaida Style (¥650) is made with Takaida ramen noodles, which are local to Osaka. With its chubuto (medium thickness) noodles, darkly colored and flavorful soup, and chopped green onions, the dish lives up to the Takaida Style.

The soy sauce tare is made with tamari soy sauce as the base.

The soup is made by simmering a whole chicken at a low temperature for around eight hours. A bit of tonkotsu (pork bone) is also added in.

A little moisture is added to the chubuto noodles so they absorb the soup well.

After finishing his training at a well-known ramen shop, the famous ramen-loving owner independently opened Chuka Soba ORoku in Osaka’s Mount Tempo area in 2008. In 2010, he relocated to Namba, where his shop quickly gained popularity.

In 2015, he changed his restaurant name to Menya Joroku. With a character like Joroku as the owner and the prime Namba location, the restaurant easily won the hearts of many celebrities, particularly comedians.

Owner Tatsuji Joroku says, “I will continue to work hard to make the customers happy. I am going to make all sorts of ramen so please visit Menya Joroku to come along for the ride.”